Forces loyal to Libya UN-backed government say they have recaptured one of the last districts in central Sirte held by Islamic State militants. Libyan forces are three months into a campaign to oust Daesh from their former North African stronghold and have encircled the militants in a shrinking section of the city centre. Their progress has been aided by US air strikes on the jihadists' vehicles, weapons and fighting positions.
Rida Issa, a spokesman for the pro-government forces said they had successfully recaptured District Two and were now making incursions into District One in the heart of Sirte, the hometown of late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Pro-government fighters fire their weapons towards IS positions in District TwoMahmud Turkia/AFPA fighter from the pro-government forces looks at burning vehicles after an IS suicide bomber detonated his explosives close to a group of soldiers in District TwoAFPSmoke rises during a battle between Libyan forces allied with the UN-backed government and Islamic State fighters in District TwoIsmail Zitouny/ReutersA fighter loyal to Libya's Government of National Unity runs on a street while fighting against ISAFPPro-government forces bombard IS fighters' positions in SirteIsmail Zitouny/ReutersA fighter from the pro-government forces fires a rocket-propelled grenade launcher towards IS positions in an area of central Sirte known as District TwoAFPLibyan forces allied with the UN-backed government receive ammunition for their tankIsmail Zitouny/ReutersForces loyal to Libya's UN-backed government fire towards Islamic State fighters' positions in District TwoMahmud Turkia/AFPPro-government fighters rest during a battle with IS in SirteIsmail Zitouny/Reuters
The body of a suspected jihadist on the ground in an area of central Sirte known as District TwoAFP
Families who fled Sirte – after IS took control and the battle to oust them intensified – have begun drifting back into the city. Shops, once closed for weeks and even months, are reopening and life is slowly returning to the shattered streets.
Last week Libyan forces captured a hospital, university buildings and a large convention hall complex that was used for meetings and religious instruction by IS.
Blankets and personal belongings lie on the floor of the Ibn Sina Hospital in Sirte, after pro-government forces retook it from ISMahmud Turkia/AFPGraffiti outside the Ibn Sina Hospital reads 'The state of Islam will stay"Mahmud Turkia/AFPA Libyan government fighter points at clothes lying on the floor at the Ibn Sina Hospital in Sirte, after seizing it from IS. The Arabic writing on the wall in black reads: 'Justice won'Mahmud Turkia/AFPA pro-government fighter at the Ibn Sina Hospital points at an Islamic State group X-Ray department notice in Arabic which stresses that it is prohibited to take any X-Rays without a prescription from a doctorMahmud Turkia/AFPA car leaves the university campus in Sirte after Libyan pro-government forces seized it from ISAFPShrapnel holes mark the walls of the Ouagadougou conference centre, where IS had set up baseAFPShell casings litter the ground outside the Ouagadougou conference centre where IS had set up baseAFPLibyan pro-government forces inspect the Ouagadougou conference centre in SirteAFP
IS seized control of Sirte in February 2015, turning it into a base for Libyan and foreign jihadists, and extending its control over about 250km (155 miles) of Libya's Mediterranean coastline. However, the militant group struggled to win broad support or retain territory in Libya, and losing Sirte will be a major setback for the ultra hardline Islamist group, which has already lost ground to US-backed military campaigns in Iraq and Syria.
